The largest Buddha statue in the world is the Spring Temple Buddha in Lushan County, Henan, China. The statue stands 128 m (420 ft), high and comes with a 20 m (66 ft) lotus throne. If the 25 m (82 ft) pedestal/building is added, the height becomes 153 m (502 ft).

Construction

The statue was finished in 2002. The construction of the statue began after the Maitreya Project commenced. The initial cost was $55 million. The statue is comprised of 1,100 pieces of copper cast.

The weight is estimated to be 1,000 tons. Part of the reason the largest Buddha statue in the world was built was due to the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan.

Origin of the Name

The Spring Temple Buddha got its name from the Tianrui hot spring, where 60 C water is spewed out. The water is famous for its healing properties.

Other Giant Buddha Statues

The Great Buddha statue in Bodhgaya, Bihar is 25 m (82 ft) high and depicts the Buddha in a sitting position. It is one of the oldest and most renowned of the Buddha statues in India.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is the biggest carved stone Buddha on the planet. The Buddha is carved from the Lingyun Mountain. It is situated around the Dadu, Minjiang, and Qingyi rivers in Sichuan in China.

One of the largest Buddha statues in the world, it is 71 m (230 ft) high and 28 m (92 ft) wide between its shoulders. The head is 14.7 m (48 ft) high. A hundred people can sit at the Buddha’s head.

The Great Buddha in Thailand

This statue is 92 m (300 ft) high and 63 m (210 ft) wide. Construction began n 1990 and was completed in 2008. It is in Wat Muang, Aung Thong in Thailand.

The statue is made of concrete cement and is painted gold. Its official name is Mahaminh Sakayamunee Visejchaicharn. There is another Buddha statue in Phuket, Thailand. Called the Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha, it is 45 m (150 ft) high.

Buddha Statues in China and Japan

One of the largest Buddha statues in the world is the Lingshan Buddha in Jiangsu, China. The copper statue is 87 m (290 ft) high. The Great Buddha of Kamakura in Kamakura City, Japan is 11.5 m (38 ft) high and weighs 124 tons. The official name is Kondo-Amida-Nyorai-Zo.

The Great Buddha of Nara in Nara, Japan is 15 m (49 ft) high. It is made of copper. The official name is Rushanabutsu. The Yungang Buddha is in Shan-Xi, China. It stands 17 m (56 ft). The Longmen Buddha is also 17 m (56 ft) tall. It is found in Henan, China. It is made of stone.

The Tian Tan Buddha or Big Buddha, is a bronze statue. It is in Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. It stands 34 meters (110 ft) tall and weighs 250 metric tons. There are many others, but the Spring Temple remains the largest Buddha statue in the world today.